The Underrated, 2014

It’s 2014 and getting time to honor the underrated among us, people that we think are really, really good but that don’t get quite the credit that they deserve. This is an annual survey, which we’ve been doing since 2012, and I say “we,” not in the royal sense, but in the sense of YOU, because most of the upcoming gallery will be made up of your suggestions.

So who do you think is underrated in American life as of today, in 2014? Candidates can include the living or the dead, but I’d lean more toward the living on this one. The fact that you can even know who a dead person is USUALLY indicates that they are at least getting SOME form of immortality, which is, after all, the ultimate recognition.

Include your suggestions in the comments or write to me at mlasalle@sfchronicle.com.